Some systems, such as an aircraft flight surface control system, may include one or more components or surfaces that are rotated with respect to relatively fixed portions of the system. In such systems, a rotary drive motor may be implemented to impart a rotational force on the component about an axis of rotation.
In some cases, a rotating component may be maintained in a stowed position using a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism may include an engagement member and a linear actuator. The linear actuator may cause the engagement member to extend and couple the rotating component to the relatively fixed portion of the system, thus locking the rotating component in place. In addition, the linear actuator may cause the engagement member to retract, thus unlocking the rotating component, and enabling the rotary drive motor to rotate the rotating component, with respect to the relatively fixed portion of the system.
A linear actuator and a rotary motor combination may be sufficient to provide the dual functionality of component locking/unlocking and rotation in a system that requires such functionality. However, systems for providing this dual functionality have certain disadvantages. For example, the combination of the linear actuator and the rotary motor may be fairly heavy. Accordingly, in systems in which relatively low weight is an important system specification (e.g., aircraft systems), system designers may try to reduce weight in other areas (e.g., aircraft structure) in order to accommodate the weight of the linear actuator and the rotary motor. In addition, a linear actuator and a rotary motor may take significant volume, which may be undesirable in compact systems or systems in which space is at a premium. For at least these reasons, it is desirable to provide improved systems, apparatus, and methods capable of providing engagement/disengagement between a rotating system component and a relatively fixed portion of a system, while being further capable of imparting rotational forces to the component. Further, it is desirable to provide these systems, apparatus, and methods at potentially reduced weight, volume, part count, and/or cost when compared to traditional systems. Other desirable features and characteristics of embodiments of the inventive subject matter will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.